India — Rachel Silva

Devotion through dance

At the center of one of the most religiously diverse cities in the world, believers of many different faiths come together on a common sacred ground: the dance floor.

Education in Ahmedabad

Muslim students learn about religion in Christian Schools in Ahmedabad, India.

Twice discriminated

India's Christian Dalits still suffer inequalities from legislative loopholes that scholars say are intentional.

In the spring of 2015, Marendra Modi was elected in India's Prime Minister in tandem with the rise of a right wing nationalist party. I covered religious tension and union between Mormons, Christians, Hindus and Muslims. The project was a collaboration with 16 other students at the Columbia University Journalism School, under Professor Ari Goldman and Professor Yogi Trivedi. Our collection of multimedia stories is posted on coveringreligion.org.

My work includes:

Twice Discriminated, a 2,912-word story that examines the legislative discrimination faced by India's Christian Dalits, once known as untouchables.
Muslim students learn about religion in Christian schools, a 1,156-word story written with co-reporter Gregoire Molle, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the relationship between Muslims and Christians in the education system in Ahmedabad, India.
Devotion through dance, a series of photo portraits of classical Hindu Bharatnatyam dancers who worship on the dance floor in Ahmedabad, India.